The Washington critic., 1887-03-07
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the corridors. Last night the people
went wild. They acted like the absurd
curiosity hunters, who gather on the
outside of Jail during hanging and
stare at the black walls as though they
could see the tragedy going on within.
Here, while the Forty.ninth Congress
was dying, these thousands wandered
through the lobbies staring at the mas.
sive walls and trying to sec through
the doors of frosted glass. They
crowded the corridors of both House
and Senate, and the scenes in the large
reception room of the Senate were
worth noting. / saw q crush
of ladies here frantically attempt
ing to force their Senators to
crowd them into the galleries.
One woman was talking to Senator
Malone, and while she poured her
troubles into his ear l saw Senator
Beck come out with bill in his hand
and look for one of his lady con-
stituents. 1noted the look of worry on
the faces of many of the women, and
there were more anxious ones among
this crowd than you will find In any
other. The last days of Congress are
the dangerous ones of the session. 1t
is then that the jobs slip through. and
1t Is then that the fate of most bills Is
decided.
THE CAPITOL AT NIGHT.
The great Capitol building at night
has been one of the sights to the
strangers at Washington during these
last days. 1t is a sight worth seeing,
too. Seated on the heights of Capitol
Hill, 1t can be seen for miles on every
side, looking like great Illuminated
temple OF worlds banqueting hall. Its
thousands OF windows blaze with liz ht,
spiral snake of burning jets runs up
into its dome, and the building forms
golden cross, with a quivering golden
snake lowering in the air above 1t. An
electric light blazes at Its feet. showing
the dark outlines of the sitting statue
of Chief Justice Marshall, and the
wide avenue leading to 1t is a paved
sidewalk fit for the footsteps Of the
gods. Standing on the library portico
the view of the great city lying below
now attracts crowds. Washington, the
city of magnificent distances, Is lighted
from one end to the other, and, stand.
ing here at night, one sees spread out
below him great, black, inverted sky,
In which the consultations of stars
vie with those overhead. Penn.
sylvania avenue forms the milky
way of this black sky, and the red
lights of the street.cars, herdics and
carriages make one think of the will-o'-
the-wisps OF the Dismal Swamp. At
its end shines an electric ball, marking
the Treasury building, and could you
look further you would see the won.
drous beauty of the White House un-
der the softening blaze of the gaslight.
That dark pile over there, which looks
almost ghostlike as the rays of the
lights of the Treasury fall upon 1t, Is
the great shaft of the Washington
Monument, and that bouquet of stars
away over there on the hill beyond Is
Arlington Heights. On the right OF
you you can see the lights of George.
town, and If you go to the other side
Of the Capitol you will catch glimpse
of the ilickering candles Of AleXlnlria,
which lies across the Potomac and fur
ther down the river.
The scenes in the Senate at night have
had much of the beautiful mixed up
with the rush and din of the debates.
The chamber itself under the gasllght
Is symphony In green and goll The
great rectangular bear pit OF the cham.
Der proper, with its yellow walls and
green floor, has banks of human
flowers in the four galleries which rise
from its top and slope backward into
the darkness near the roof. These gal
leries are packed with glyly dressed
women and men, They rise upward qt
an angle of 10 degrees and their oc-
cupanis embrace people of all ages aui
of nearly every country ON the face OF
the globe. The Diplomatic gallery Is
full and the ed,clpped Turk sits bn
side the almond eyed Celestial, In his
gay silks, his cap and his long queue,
The walls back of these galleries are
filed with crowds standing, Gnl all
eyes are fixed upon the legislative
gymnastics going on In the chamber
below.
How light II is
1t is like day, and yet no gas Jets are
visible. You cast your eyes upward,
expecting to see a chandelier. Instead
you see a roof of panelled glass, richly
frosted, and each panel ornamentel
with the arms of each State In bright
colors. The light is mellowed as 1t
passes through these panels, aud its
rays fall as softly upon the semi bald
heads of the Senators below as did the
rays of Claude Melnotte's ideal ala
baster lamps in hlsspalace by the Lake